1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network control apparatus for controlling operations of peripheral devices and a remote operation device for displaying statuses of the peripheral devices and remotely operating the peripheral devices in an environment for using the peripheral devices connected to a network constructed in the home, office or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with techniques using the internet progressing remarkably, the internet has been widely spread in not only companies, but also in general homes. The internet is mainly used for e-mail, internet shopping, internet telephone and Web search in the homes. Then it becomes familiar also to the homes to connect a plurality of personal computers and peripheral devices such as a printer as a network to share. This technique is achieved by blending and combining, for example, services provided from an internet provider, technique of networks including Ethernet, internet protocol (IP), and OS of personal computer.
Meanwhile, there is proposed an attempt to connect electric devices (devices to be operated) such as a scanner, digital TV, and refrigerator to a home network to collectively control a lot of electric products (so-called information home electric appliances) existing in the home.
However, most of products connected to the home network to be operated do not have IP addresses. Hence it is impossible to transmit data using the internet from a remote place to the products connected to the home network to be operated such as a digital TV.
Further, it is possible to handle most of the products connected to the home network to be operated only using data format dedicated to the corresponding electric products, and therefore such products require particular conversion processing. For example, when a color image showed on a digital TV is output to a color printer, it is necessary to convert the RGB data format into the CMYK data format.
Further, there is a problem on the operability of products to be operated besides the above-mentioned problems on the IP address and data format. Man-machine interfaces provided on preexisting products to be operated are particularly limited, and therefore it is necessary to greatly change the man-machine interfaces of the products to be operated to use the products in operative connection with others on a network.